Electrical collector for locomotive cranes and the like



Jan. 22, 1924.

, H. 'r. NAFZIGER ELECTRICAL COLLECTOR FOR LQCOMOTIVE CRANES AND THELIKE 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 22, 1924.

I H. T. NAFZIGER ELECTRICAL COLLECTOR FOR LOCOMOTIVE CRANES AND mm LIKEFiled Jan. 11. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 22, 1924 rss Parenttime ries,

HENRY T. EAFZIGER, OF CHICA GO, ILLINOIS, ASS-IGNOR T LINK BELT COMPANY,OF

v CHICAGO, ILLINQJE, A CORPCRATION OZ ILLINOISI I A ELECTRICAL COLLECTORF01?) LOCOMOTIV'E CRANES AND THE LIKE.

Application filed January 11, 1922. Serial No. 528,556.

To all whom itmayconcem:

Be it known that, I, HENRY T. NAFZIGER,,

of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inElectrical- Collectors for Locomotive Cranes and the like, of which thefollowing is a specification.

. My invention relates to an electricacon necting and power transmittingdevice for locomotive cranes, derricksand the like, wherein a rotatingoperatingbody is mounted on a fixed platform and wherein means must beprovided for maintaining electrical power. orcontact between therotating body or platform and the fixed platform under all conditions;

My invention relates in general terms to means for accomplishing thispurpose and at the. same time protecting the electrical contact membersso that they will aways be free from foreign material and so that thepossibility of short circuiting or interrupting a circuit bywaste,.dust, water, oil and the like is impossible. This is'accomplishedby means of shoes in contact with rings justably positioned on the underside of the rotating platform. These rings rotate in engagement withtired yielding supporting shoes on the fixed platform, the shoes beingat all times covered by the rings and the contact surfaces of the ringsbeing at all times downwardly opposed and the rings themselvesnormallycovered by the rotating platform.

"\Lly invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a detailed section throughthag partof a locomotive .cranenecessary to the illustration ,of my invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective of therrings and contact shoes Figure 3 isadetailelevation ofone ofthc collector shoes with-parts in section.

Like parts are designated by like characters throughout. i

A is a lower supporting frame. It may be fixed. oizlmounted on'a rollertruck or any other suitable supporting mechanism. It is arranged so thatit does not normally rotate in operation. A is a pivot post projectingupwardly through the boss A A is the upper rotating or swinging frame ora platform having downwardly projecting hub frame.

roller track on the frame A, andr-i" are roller Wheels ca-rryingtheframe or platformri, on the track A The means for operating or movingthe roller truck or frame and the means for rotating the upper rotatingframe are not herein shown as they form no part of r y invention. Theplatform It carries, of course, the usual working mechanism such as ashovel, dipper, crane or the like, but none of these parts are shown.

B is a rigid shoe supporting )ltmte bolted tothe frame A. It has mountedon it a plurality of insulating lugs 13?, B, which, in turn, carrycontacting and supporting yokes B B incircuit with electricalpowercables B B These yokes are preferably made of steel, but might bemade of other material. BT, B, are fiat contact shoes on the shanks B?mounted for, vertical displacement in the yokes B is a guide or stemdownwardly projecting from theshank B of the Contact shoe 3*. lower endpenetrating through, the lower bend B of the yoke B At its upper end ithas mounted upon itthennt 13 between which and the shank B is compressedthe upper end of the flexible conductor B B is a spiral spring coiledahout'the stem E which compressed between the bend of the yoke B and thenut B andthus tends upwardly to thrust the contact shoe 13*.

C, C, area series of adjusting plates, slotted at C mounted on the frameA and so arranged that they may be vertically adjusted on the screws C.Nuts 3 are provided tolock the plates C in position. Each of theseplates has one or more downwardly projecting insulating lugs C C andthese lugs carry the roller rings C, C one ring being in opposition andin engagement with each of the shoes B. B; j The adjustment of the plateC is provided so that the collectorri'ngs may be t-rued up so that theywill alwaysremainin contact with the shoes independent of the rotation.of the upper Conductors C, C, lead from the rings C C7, to the junctionbox C on the upper frame from which power is taken to operate thevarious electrical motors on that frame.

Under some conditions a single ring might be used and the return circuitwould be through the frame itself. Preferably,

however, for a D. C. job two rings will be used and lore three phasesystem, three rings might be used or for a two phase sys tem, four mightbe used.

It will be evident that while I have shown in the drawings an operativedevice, still many changes might be made in size, shape and arrangementof parts without departing materially from the spirit of my invention,and I wish, therefore, that my drawings be regarded asin a sensediagrammatic.

l claim:

1. In an electrically operated mechanism, a supporting base, a platformrotatably mounted thereon, a fiat surfaced collector ring mountedbeneath said platform and adapted to rotate therewith, a flat surfacedshoe mounted upon said frame, and yield ing means for pressing itupwardly against said ring.

2. In an electrically operated crane, a supporting frame, a platformrotatably mounted thereon, a collector ring mounted beneath theplatform, a shoe mounted on the frame, yielding means for pressing itupwardly against the ring, and means for adjusting the ring on theplatform so as to maintain it in aplane perpendicular to the axis ofrotation.

3. In an electrically operated mechanism, a supporting base, a platformrotatably mounted thereon, a flat surfaced collector ring mountedbeneath said platform and adapted to rotate therewith, a flat surfacedshoe mounted upon said frame, and yield ing means for pressing itupwardly against said ring, and supporting means therefor comprising ayoke mounted upon the supporting frame and insulated therefrom, adownwardly depending shank passing through said yoke, and a flexibleelectric connection between said shank and said yoke. .4l- II1 anelectrically operated crane, a supporting frame, a yoke mounted thereon,and insulated from the frame, a shoe having a shank slidable in theyoke, yielding means for pressing the shoe and shank upwardly, aplatform rotatably mounted on the frame, a collector ring inoppositionto the shoe, the collector-ring being adjustably mounted onthe platform.

5. An electrical connection comprising a base, insulating blocksthereon, a closed yoke mounted on the blocks, a collector shoe having adownwardly depending shank slidable in the upper branch of the yoke, aguide bit projecting downwardly from the shank and in slidableengagement with the lower. branch of the yoke, yielding means interposedbetween the shank and the lower branch of the yoke for thrust-ing theshoe upwardly.

(S. -in electrical connection comprising a base, insulating blocksthereon, a closed yoke mounted on the blocks, a collector shoe having adownwardly dependin shank slidable in the upper branch of tie yoke, aguide bit projecting downwardly from the shank and in slidableengagement withthe lower branch of the yoke, yielding means interposedbetween the shank and the lower branrh of the yoke for thrusting theshoe upwardly, and a permanent flexible electric connection between theshank and the yoke.

7. In an electrically operated crane, a rotating platform, a flangedsupporting element carriedthereby, the flanges having a plurality ofguide arms, slotted angular members mounted for vertical adjustment onsaid arms, insulating blocks on the under sides of said members and acollector ring mounted on said blocks and having con tact surfacesdownwardly exposed.

8. The combination with a supporting carriage and a platform mounted forrotation thereon about a vertical axis of a collector ring beneath theplatform, supporting members therefor adapted for vertical adjustment,collector shoes mounted on the frame of said supporting carriage andyield ing means for thrusting them upwardly against the rings.

In an electrically operated crane, a supporting frame, a platformrotatably mounted thereon, a collector ring mounted beneath the platformand adapted to rotate therewith, a shoe mounted on the frame andslidable along an axis perpendicular thereto, yielding means forpressing it against the ring and a flexible electric connection betweensaid shoe and the supporting frame.

10. In an electrically operated crane, a fixed element and a rotatingelement thereupon, adapted to rotate about a substantially verticalaxis, a flat surfaced collector ring mounted upon one of said elements,a flat surfaced shoe mounted upon the other and adapted to contact thesurface of said ring, said shoe being slidable along an axissubstantially perpendicular to said surface, yielding means for pressingsaid shoe against said ring, and a flexible electric connection betweensaid shoe and the element upon which it is mounted.

Signed at Chicago, county of Cook an State of Illinois, this 7th day ofJanuary,

HENRY T. NAFZIGER.

